Question #1
You are the LCA analyst for a papermaking company and are asked to do an LCA for a new type of paper to be used for printing currency. Define and describe the scope of your assessment.
Question # 2
You are preparing a life cycle analysis of different transportation options for getting from your house to work (10 miles each way). The options include bicycling, one person in a car, carpooling with three or more people, or taking the bus. Write a possible goal, scope, function, and functional unit for this LCA.
Question #3
To compare plastic and paper bags in terms of acquisition of raw materials, manufacturing and processing, use and disposal, we’ll use data provided by Franklin Associates, a nationally known consulting firm whose clients include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as many companies and industry groups. In 1990, Franklin Associates compared plastic bags to paper bags in terms of their energy and air/water emissions in manufacture, use, and disposal. The following chart is a result of their study:
(a) Which bag would you choose if you were most concerned about air pollution? (Notice that the information does not tell you if these are toxic air emissions or greenhouse gases.) (b) If we assume that two plastic bags equal one paper bag, does the choice change? (Most shoppers use more plastic than paper bags.) (c) Compare the energy required to produce each bag. Which bag takes less energy to produce?
